Vacuum cleaner



Nov. 4, 1941. y DQW ETAL 2,261,544

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Sept. 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Shet 2 [ill/I/l/IA DEWEY M. 00w 2%52' 5 'f mm sonwe'a P, 141-724.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED; STATES PATENT o FFICE I 2,261,544 VACUUM CLEANER Dewey M. Dow, Frederick H. Burmeister, Donald L. Boyd, and Edward F. Latta, Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Air-Way Electric Appliance'Cor- 'poration, ware Toledo,-hio, a corporation of Dela- Application September 10, 1937, Serial No. 163,265

- 2 Claims.

\ This invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and in its more specific aspects relates to an improvement therein with respect to the air passageways between the nozzle and the fan ex-' operation with the trunnion assembly will 1-e-- duce the possibility of clogging to an absolute minimum.

A still further object of construct the fan organization in such a manner as will inhibit the winding of threads, hair, and string about the shaft in a much more satisfactory manner than has heretofore been possible.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hinged cover which will facilitate the preservation of its form and shape and provide adequate protection to the operator from the motor and the transmission elements connecting with the fan and the rotary agitator.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds taken in connection with the figures that are set forth in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a side elevational view of a por- 7 tion of the vacuum cleaner;

Fig. 2 shows a partial sectional view through the trunnion housing; Y Fig. 3 shows an elevationalview of a fan an shaft partially in section;

Fig. 4 shows an end elevation of a trunnion, and

Fig. 5 shows a partial rear view of the cleaner assembly. i

Fig. 6 shows'a central vertical section view through the fan and its casing disclosing the silencing details and the blended radii.

This invention is directed to an improvement in vacuum-cleaners over the disclosures set forth in patent applications Serial No. 4;,058, filed Sept. 18, 19.35, by Riebel and Dow; Serial No. 66,882, filed March 3, 1936, by Dow, and Serial No. 74,612, filed April 13, 1936, by Dow.

The cleaner assembly generally set forth in Fig. I shows a floor tool, carriage, fan, and primarymover assembly in which numeral l indicates the. nozzle of the floor tool. Extendin rearwardly from this nozzle is a throat 2 which connects with the trunnions ll mounted on the the invention is to throat housing on the prepared rear upper surface thereof and which throat is interiorly connected to the interior passageway of the lawn-- nions. The .entire assembly is mounted on suitable forward trucks 4 rotatably disposed on eccentrically-mounted elements H, the eccentric feature not being shown in this particular disclosure,and which is particularly set forth in pending application Serial No. 161,100 filed Aug. 26, 1937. The rear of the machine is supported on a pair of trucks '5 (one only of which is shown) which is pivotally mounted on an arm or bracket 6 which, in turn, is carried by a shaft 8. The shaft 8 is pivotally mounted ona boss element 9 integral with the rear wall of the throat 2 of the machine.

Secured to the shaft 8 is; a secondary lever l which has mounted on it at one end a. detent -mechanism la adapted to cooperat'ein the spaced holes or openings in bracket Ill whereby elevation of the floor tool above the floor is determined. By withdrawing the detent la and placing it in one or the other of a seriesof positioning holes or openings in the bracket 1!), the vertical adjustment is accomplished.

Secured to the floor tool and above the nozzle opening is the housing 3 in which a rotary agitator (not shown) is rotatably mounted. Surrounding the forward edge of this housing and above thenozzle 'opening there is removably disposed a bumper I311 which is made of rubber or other suitable resilient material securely fixed to metallic base material by means of which;

marring of the interior trim of a house and of the objects and articles of furniture as well as the machine itself is inhibited when the two are brought into more or less violent contact. v

Mounted above the entire assembly 2 and 3 is the cover housing I! which is pivoted at it to the rear of the trunnion elements l1, I! on brackets l9-l9 secured thereto. In the upper and forward parts of this cover there is mounted a bumper element l3 similar in construction to bumper I312 which-also serves to act as a trim and thereby improve the appearance of the cover. Mounted below the cover is a motor (not shown) adapted to drive. a fan 3! and the rotary agitator previously referred to. Mounted to one side of the cover is an auxiliary cover M which houses the belt drive to the rotary agitator. The said auxiliary cover is not removable from cover 12 and is, therefore, an integral part of the cover assembly. Forwardly of the cover there is shown the reflector dome lib of a headlight (not shown) carried beneath the housing cover. In order to hold the cover in a fixed downward position it is secured in that manner V by a screw l2a which is threaded into an ap propriate boss integralwith the top of the floor tool casting and of which the agitator housing de'adener.

or any-of the transmission elements that are disposed beneath the cover, screw l2a is removed, whereupon the cover can be tilted back upon its hinge pintle l9 and expose to view the aforementioned elements.

Mounted at the rear of the throat 2, as set forth above, isdisposed a pair of trunnion elements i1, i1, more particularly set forth in Fig. 2. These trunnion elements are interiorly constructed and arranged in such a manner as to offer a minimum of resistance to the combined dirt and air stream as itpasses through them on up into the fan housing 2|, and thence out of the fan exhaust 32. Rotatably mounted in the trunnions is a fan spindle It for the fan 3|. This spindle is mounted in appropriate bearing elements 21 fitted into and held in position in the trunnions. The bearing is press fitted in the trunnion and is held in place by friction.

Mounted interiorly of the trunnions and between the inner surfaces of the bearing in the said trunnions is the fan assembly which consists of an element 30 which cooperates with the fan spindle bearing 21 and is counterbored in such a manner as to make winding of threads between the bearing supports and the element 30 practically impossible. The fan rotor con sists of a pair of elements 30 which blend with flared elements 29 and 29a, carrying integral blades 3|, and supported on shaft IS. The several radii of 30,29 and 29aform a smooth streamline effect. The entire contour of the assembly is stream-lined and cooperates with a partial streamlining effect imposed upon the element 30.

The tendency of this streamlining of surfaces of elements 29 and 30 is to prevent and inhibit the winding of threads, strings, etc., upon the fan spindle and which in cooperation with the streamlining effect of the interior of the trunnions will enable the combined air and dirt stream to move with the least amount of aerodynamic friction.

As a further aid the surface of 29 and 30 and.

that of the interior of the trunnions is coordinated in such a manner that at no point in the path thereof is there an abrupt curve. Treads,

string. etc., that may become wound around 90 are gradually worked over towards the fan by reason of the contour of 29 and 30 and are then by centrifugal action of the fan proper ejected from the fan itself. Practical experience has shown that the winding of threads, string, etc., on the fan spindle is eliminated by reason of such construction.

The die-cast fan assembly consists of two die castings 29 and 29a, two screw machine collars 39 and a shaft II. On one of the die castfan halves are cast six small lugs and on the other half six holes into which the lugs fit. In assembly the two castings are pressed onto'the knurled portion of the shaft to prevent rotation about the shaft and the lugswhich protrude through the holes are peened or riveted to complete one portion of the assembly. A paper washer or insert 40 (Fig. 6) is preferably inserted between the two halves of the fan as a sound The two collars are put on the fan to complete the streamline effect to the "inner edge of the bearing where the shaft passes through it. This collar is added to simplify fabrication of the fan from a die casting standpoint. The whole object in constructing the fan as shown, namely, two separate die castings, is

that of reducing cost and providing 9. corresponding' increase in efficiency from a performance standpoint. Obviously, the fan could not be made with the cross section shown if it were cast in one piece.

Another essential feature for constructing the fan blade 3i with the elements ll and 29 is to better enhance the static and dynamiebalancing of the fan proper. It is practically impossible by the ordinary methods of manufacture of fan rotors by a stamping and pressing operation to place them in static and dynamic balance within practical limits of tolerance. The elements 30 and 29-constructed as they are add considerable mass to the fan rotor assembly and thereby enable a more even distribution of weight about the circumferentiaidimensions of the shaft. Another reason for the organization of the fan as shown and disclosed is that there is a more uniform distribution of weight between the extremities of the fan shaft-and thereby prevents the unbalancing of the shaft during the rapid rotation thereof. Attention is particularly called v to the fact that where a rotor such as a fan is mounted between the extremities of a fairly slender spindle any slight deviations from a perthe ends of the spindle, and especially so when the spindle rotates at a high rate and is of smalldiameter. For that reason the fan shaft and fan assembly have been constructed in accordance with the principles set forth above and which constitute a considerable improvement over the invention set forth in the applications previously referred to by enhancing the dynamic balance and inhibiting the bending movement of the dynamically balanced spindle.

Restating the immediately foregoing, the essential feature of the idea as shown on the sketch of the fan is the primary advantage of this particular construction which exists in the fact that the mass of the fan in rotation due to any slight unbalance is not concentrated at the center of the shaft, that being the weakest point of theshaft, but rather is resolved into two equal forces which act on either side of the center at points where the shaft is most rigidly supported by the hearings in which it rotates.

At oneend of the fan shaft ll in the assembly shown in Fig. 1 an appropriate pulley (not shown) is mounted which receives a power transmission element connected to the motor for driving the same.

The trunnion assembly is characterized in that it is lubricated by means of a greasing element 23 which is connected through an appropriate duct in a portion 23a integral with the outer wall of the trunnion. By means of this disposition an excess of grease is inhibited from getting into the hearing which thereby further inhibits the flooding of the trunnion chamber with lubricant. The fan chamber can be kept free and clear from oil and grease, thereby inhibiting the collecting of dust and other light particles on such grease which would normally work through into the trunnion chamber should any other method of lubrication be adopted.

- Disposed towards the rear of the trimnion housmounted which acts as a bumper for the cover l2.

In order to facilitate the cleaning of the'inte- The fan case in the instant application is rotatable with respect to the trunnions and for this purpose bearing surfaces 26 are provided and fitted on each of the trunnion housings. The fan case 2| is appropriately shaped and equipped with bearing surfaces so as to cooperate with the bearings 26 in as air tight a manner as is commercially and practically feasible. The fan housing 2| is rotatable, as set forth above, on these bearing surfaces and is rotated by means of the handle that is socketed at 23 in an extension of the fan housing assembly. In the particular instance the socket is integral with the guard 22 which is secured by means of rivets or screws or any other appropriate agency to l the fan housing as shown and set forth in Fig. 5.

T construction is more particularly set forth in Figs. 1 and 5 in which there is shown secured to the rear portion of the trunnion assembly one portion of a hinge element [5 preferably integral with the trunnions. The other portion of the hinge assembly constitutes an element I9 which is integral or secured in an appropriate fashion to the cover 12. The pintle of the hinge elements speed. As an aid'to a better-understanding of the surfaces involved, the actual radii in inches of the several arcs are indicated. At several points in trunnion l1 and fan rotor, the contour or the different radii are blended and in other portionssurfaces are joined with straight lines. The dimensions given produce the least resistance to the passage of foreign matter and provide a surface that prevents the winding of threads etc. on the fan rotor. The fan case 2| is shown in its disposition to the rotor. The element ll arranged on the side of the fan case makes provision for holding thecleaner handle (not shown) in selected positions of rest.

From the above it is thought that the gist of the invention has been so fully set forth that anyone practicing the principles thereof may without further instructions or 'difflculty reproduce the same.

The invention is not'limite'd to the particular disclosure, but is limited only by the appended claims and any and all structures which come within the spirit and scope thereof and all modifications and variations therefrom are included flow of air comprising; a spindle for rotatably supporting the parts, bearings for rotatably supporting said spindle; an impeller carried by said spindle, said impeller comprising two complementary die-cast parts, each part comprising substantially one-half of said impeller; a silencing means interposed between the two impeller parts; means to secure the two parts together;

v said complementary impeller parts gradually inis a machine screw 20 or any other form of rivet or pin, which is preferably easily removable from the hinge assembly. It is evident, thereforathat as the screw |2a is loosened the entire cover assembly i2 may be tilted backward upon the axis IE of the hinge element. A bearing (not shown) is inserted in the hinge to prevent binding of thescrew. The openings 36 in each of the trunnion housings is for the purpose of securing a baffle plate on one side of the machine between which and a wall or cover I2 is placed a pulley mounted in the end of the spindle and the motor and is intended to cooperate with the cover l2 to form a separate chamber for the reception of the belt or other power transmitting element that drives the fan.

Portions 31 with holes 38 and 39 which are tapped as well as opening 36 holds a portion of the guard creasing in cross section toward the center of the impeller to prohibit said winding; a pair of collars mounted on said spindle, the surfaces ofwhich blend with the impeller surfaces and which gradually increase in cross section toward said bearings; said collar being counterbored and cooperating with said bearings and adapted to pro-.

hibit the winding of threads on said collars and about saidbearings.

2. In a vacuum cleaner fan organization, an impeller rotor, trunnions in which said rotor is mounted for rotation, bearings mounted in said trunnions, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearings and supporting the rotor, said rotor comprising two complementary portions supporting the impeller blades, means for silencing the normal operating noise of the impeller interposed between the complementary parts, said rotor EDWARD LA'I'I'A. FREDERICK H. BURMEISTER. DONALD L. BOYD. DEWEY M. DOW. 

